I HAD one of the shortest trips to an interview I think I’ve ever experienced this week.

It was a journey of about 100 feet, if my internal measure is correct.

To be exact it was a trek from the reception of Media Wales in Park Street, in the shadow of the Millennium Stadium, to the Millennium Plaza on Wood Street.

If you’ve ever walked past the entertainment complex by the River Taff you wouldn’t fail to be impressed with the number of posters that adorn the frontage of one of the city’s newer music venues – the Millennium Music Hall.

This doesn’t come as a surprise to me. The men behind the MMH are on a mission to fill a gap in Cardiff’s live music scene and bring a feast of musical diversity to the Welsh capital. The venue now celebrates its first anniversary and those gentlemen – Alex Budge and Paul Shepherd – reveal they have grand plans for the future.

“A year on and the top floor has paid off,” says Paul, of the MMH main room, the 900 capacity former Jongleurs venue. We’re now converting the ground floor (a 500-capacity room) for smaller stuff and then downstairs will host club and event based nights.

“With The Barfly sadly closing recently, there’s a gap in the market for someone to come in and cater for smaller shows.”

“Our objective is to mimic the Academy group set-up,” adds Alex. “They’re the group with venues throughout the country that have multi-sized venues contained within one complex. Just as they have Academy 1 and Academy 2 rooms, here we’ll have Millennium Music Hall 1, Millennium Music Hall 2 and Millennium Music Hall 3 downstairs for club and event-based nights.

“So we’ll have a large capacity room which is our top room, and then that flexibility of a second room to link with the top room, so you can have an after-show party, or alternatively put on those smaller shows.”

A constant criticism of South Wales gig-goers is that we miss out on many band whose tour agents invariably route their acts through venues like the Academy in Bristol, while we on the other side of the Severn Crossing miss out.

Both Paul and Alex are confident they can break this monopoly.

“I’m sure you’re starting to see we’re on the right lines here,” says Alex. “We’ve started to forge links with SJM and the MAMA group, who have said we’re first call for Cardiff. We’re on the routing for seven or eight gigs for next year. OK, there isn’t an Academy in Cardiff but there is now an alternative.

“Those promoters are now identifying with us,” adds Paul. “We’ve done a year and got a bit of history under our belts, seen that we know what we’re doing, so we’re now dialled in.

“Live venues don’t take off immediately, it takes time to grow the credibility of the venue and you have to give an assurance to promoters that you’re not a flash in the pan. Hopefully next year, you’ll see far more gigs being routed through this venue.”

As far as Cardiff is concerned, that can’t happen soon enough.

For more info on upcoming Millennium Music Hall shows, check out www.millenniummusichall.fatsoma.com